The agreement, signed on Monday at the SPLM National Secretariat in Juba, provides a framework for cooperation in areas including political training, institutional development, youth and women’s engagement, policy research, and election preparedness.
The deal was signed by SPLM Secretary-General Akol Paul Kordit and UDA Secretary-General Hassan Omar Hassan, who led a delegation from Nairobi.
While both parties described the agreement as a mechanism for strengthening institutional capacity and regional cooperation, the timing of the pact has drawn attention given South Sudan’s ongoing transition toward multiparty elections after years of conflict and political instability.
With only four months remaining, the December 2026 polls are expected to be the country’s first national elections since independence in 2011. But preparations have been complicated by inadequate funding for electoral institutions, insecurity and unresolved territorial disputes, particularly the status of Abyei with neighbouring Sudan.
The election arrangements have also been flagged by the international community for lacking conditions considered necessary for a credible electoral process, especially the release of political detainees, including First Vice President Riek Machar, who has been in incarceration for more than one year.
Under the MoU, the two parties agreed to cooperate on election preparedness and share experiences on political organisation and governance. The SPLM said the partnership would help strengthen its institutional structures, while UDA officials framed it as part of broader regional integration between South Sudan and Kenya.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Kordit said the agreement would allow the SPLM to draw lessons from regional political experiences as South Sudan moves toward elections.
“Learning from successful regional experiences will reinforce peace, stability and the Movement’s institutional strength as the country moves toward the upcoming elections,” Kordit said.
Kenya’s UDA, the party of President William Ruto, is one of the region’s most influential political movements and has played a central role in Kenya’s current administration. Its partnership with the SPLM places the two ruling parties within a wider East African political network ahead of South Sudan’s electoral transition.
UDA Secretary-General Hassan Omar Hassan said the agreement reflected historical and cultural links between the two countries, describing South Sudan and Kenya as “one people across two states.”
He called for stronger regional integration and cooperation, saying the partnership aimed to address challenges including tribal divisions and barriers to continental unity.
The MoU comes at a politically sensitive period for South Sudan, where Kiir’s SPLM remains the dominant political force and faces minimal competition from opposition parties preparing to participate in the upcoming elections.
Opposition groups and civil society organisations have repeatedly called for an inclusive electoral environment, warning that elections held without sufficient reforms could deepen political tensions rather than consolidate peace.
